Toyota Concept-i is the car that talks

Toyota has showcased its future thinking with the Concept-i, which was revealed the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

As a concept, it is less about the oily bits and more a vision of how the car of the future will interact with its occupants through artificial intelligence.

Toyota says the Concept-i, which was designed by its North American studio in collaboration with its technology lab based in Silicon Valley, has been created from the inside out with a "focus on building an immersive and energetic user experience" and to "anticipate people's needs, inspire their imaginations and improve their lives".

"At Toyota, we recognize that the important question isn't whether future vehicles will be equipped with automated or connected technologies," said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota.

2017 Toyota Concept-i

"It is the experience of the people who engage with those vehicles. Thanks to Concept-i and the power of artificial intelligence, we think the future is a vehicle that can engage with people in return."

The key to the concept is the use of artificial intelligence which Toyota says learns with the driver to build a relationship "that is meaningful and human". It uses a multitude of technologies to measure the emotions of the driver and can suggest whether to drive manually or switch to an auto pilot mode depending on mood, attentiveness and traffic conditions.

It does so with a concierge (or as Toyota calls it, an AI Agent) called Yui that has been designed to communicate across different cultures to a global audience. The cabin is, unusually, devoid of any screens and uses light, sound and touch to communicate critical information.

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The car is also designed to engage with the outside world, with Yui appearing on the door panels to greet drivers and passengers as they approach the vehicle while the rear-end displays messages about upcoming turns or warn others about hazards and the front of the car can alert others of whether it is in autopilot mode or being driven manually.